JAVS Fall 1997

57

Cost of JAVS issues with advertising: $2.50 per single issue, or $7.50 a year, or 25o/o of the $30 in regular dues Cost of JAVS issues without advertising: $6.25 per single issue, or $18.75 a year, or 63o/o of the $30 in regular dues

includes the annual financial report. At worst, these can't be any less inviting reading than the semiannual reports of one's favorite stock company. In this category of less popular reading material-though there are contradictory votes-are the New Acquisitions in PIVA. For those detractors, it may be surprising to learn that inquiries about new publications and their availability come regularly to the PIVA office as a result of someone reading these lists. Also, a few have expressed gleeful surprise to know that so much is being pub lished for the viola these days. These lists were originally designed to have been featured in the IVS's publication The Viola. Unfortunately, that publication became moribund and has recently been pronounced dead. In approxi mately 1998, the new entries list will have caught up to the present and thereafter will be published only once a year. As explained in each issue of ]AVS, these lists since 1985 will be codified and published as a supplement to Zeyringer's Literaturfor Viola. ADVERTISEMENTS. The suggestion to place all or most of the advertisements in one part of the journal, such as the back, is being con sidered. This would be consistent with some, but not all, similar publications. That 76% of the respondents refer to ]AVS when seeking a product or service-and 67% have actually made contact with our advertisers-is impres sive. We wouldn't want any repositioning of ads to result in a decrease in advertisers and advertising revenue. It has been my aim, per haps too idealistic, to make ]AVS financially independent of AVS, thus freeing more funds for other worthy AVS-sponsored endeavors, such as the Primrose Memorial Scholarship Competition. It might be of interest to assess the com parative cost per AVS member of an issue of ]AVS with and without advertising revenue. To the very few who have complained about too much advertising in ]AVS, I'm afraid you have not come face to face with the spiraling costs of a basic product in publishing paper-or of advertising's general benefit to AVS's financial picture. An analysis of produc ing three issues during 1996-97, for instance, is shown below as it pertains to a single AVS member:

JAVS' APPEARANCE. It would be difficult to take issue with the color of the journal's cover since this changes each issue-unless the dis agreement is that a standard color should be adopted. Until AVS membership grows to the extent that sufficient numbers of each press run can financially justify full-color reproduc tion, the present color scheme (or lack there of) will probably remain. A few readers have written me personal notes that they like our journal, among other reasons, for the "feel of the paper"-it's not slick. Others may wish a more contemporary look with a high gloss fin ish as seen in the majority of magazines and periodicals. Our publication, admittedly, is more conservative looking, more sedate and low key, perhaps subconsciously harmonizing with the typical violist personality. Our somewhat prettified violist on the front cover comes under mild criticism once in a while. Why not exchange him for some thing more manly or do away with him alto gether? It's probably my weakness for being burdened by history. This is the logo (icon, if you will) that was associated with our society from its beginnings in this country, back to the days when the AVS was called the Viola Research Society. A team hates to do away with a beloved mascot, but I will at least make a concession and alteration: the caption in doggerel verse and archaic German will be deleted in the future. Perhaps some have won dered what it means: roughly, "The tone is somewhat raw that the viola offers, but it is at once pleasant to him who really understands it. A piece of music might even be more nobly esteemed and loved if subjected to its lovely sound. As Rome is called the capital city of musicians, so too my instrument is deemed something beautiful." CoNTENT SUGGESTIONS. One comment called for more viola music inserts, which is an excellent suggestion. There are three prob lems to solve in this: (1) finding suitable